The Status Quo Recurrence
by Lizzie73
Summary: Based on the Season 7 finale, what happened after it. So, it contains spoilers
1. Chapter 1

Amy was alone in her apartment, getting ready to go to sleep. She had had a long day at the lab and then, when she was driving home, her car got stuck between a tree and a hole next to the sidewalk. It was raining, so when she got home, she was wet, tired, pissed and about to cry. She was feeling sad all the time since Sheldon left. She still couldn't believe Leonard and Penny had let him go.  
She decided to take a shower after she came home; she put on her pajama and made a cup of herbal tea. Sheldon loved herbal tea. She started crying again, but she made herself remember Sheldon was doing this because he needed it to.  
He needed to clear his head and to get over all the changes around him. She understood, she was actually considering running away like he did, but giving up just because Sheldon was gone didn't seem enough. She could've gone after him but she decided it was better to wait until he was ready to come back.

Sheldon had been gone for two weeks now; they had talked with Sheldon a couple of times ever since. The first time, he was on a train, and he didn't know where he was going to, but he was enjoying the ride and the train was really nice. The second time he was in a hotel in San Francisco. He had said the city was really nice, that the weather was perfect and that he enjoyed taking the Cable Cars all the time, although he hated when they were crowded.

Amy was glad to know her boyfriend was going well, but she couldn't help to feel a little disappointed that Sheldon didn't seem to be missing her. She wondered if he missed her as much as she missed him. Asking on the phone was not an option; she would feel crushed if he wasn't. She remembered the moment before he left, Sheldon had come to her apartment to talk with her because he was upset. He talked about Penny and Leonard living together and how they were planning to "kick him out" out of his own place. Of course he was pleased to go and live across the hall, in Penny's apartment; of course he was pleased to move out from the place he had gotten for himself in the first place. He just needed a roommate and that was what Leonard was, a roommate. Sheldon could have totally live by himself if it wasn't for the rent he couldn't afford. Amy told him that it could be good for him to live by himself for a while and, as a suggestion, she said that if it didn't work out, they could live together. Sheldon freaked out after this. He yelled: "sure, let's get engaged too, and start a family and live our sunset years together", he took his stuff and left. That was the last time Amy saw him and she didn't ever get to say or kiss him goodbye. Ever since, she couldn't stop thinking about that. She knew Sheldon wasn't ready yet to move in with her, but she was just making a suggestion, she didn't ask him to live together the next day. And he was making fun of her. Yes, one had to take his time with Sheldon, but if he wasn't even open to the possibility of taking the next step with their relationship, then what was the point of being together? What the hell was he expecting? Living forever under the rules of his stupid Relationship Agreement? Seeing how their friends were moving on with their lives while he's sitting on his spot? Howard and Bernadette were already married, and it was just a matter of time before they had a baby, Leonard and Penny were engaged and Raj was going really well with his new girlfriend Emily. What were Amy and Sheldon doing? Anything but kissing only on date nights. Yes, that was a little step for them, and Amy was pleased when Sheldon suggested adding kissing to the Relationship agreement. But it wasn't enough. Amy knew sex was out of the table, that would happen when they were both ready. But all she wanted was Sheldon being more open to her, have more confidence and feeling more comfortable around her.

Amy thought, once Sheldon was gone, that this could be a little break between them, so they could think about where their relationship was going and what to do next. She wasn't going to break up with him, she wasn't going to leave him when he was on his lowest moment, but she was upset, she was mad at him and she was tired of give and give and not get anything in return.

She was hoping Sheldon could get back on his feet again soon, she was missing him so much; and it had been a while since she got rid of the bag of rice with one of Sheldon's T-shirts on, so she couldn't embrace anything but her pillow. She fell asleep after a while, with some tears still coming out of her eyes and resting on her cheeks.

The next morning, she woke up with a knock on the door. She hoped it was Sheldon but, then she realized it couldn't be him because there weren't three knocks on the door and nobody was saying her name. Disappointed and getting rid of the dry tears on her cheeks, she got up, put on her robe and opened the door. It was Penny.

"Hi, Ames, good morning. Sorry to bother you, but I was concerned about you. I tried to call you a while ago and since you didn't answer I decided to check if you were okay".

"Hello, Penny, I'm fine, my phone is out of battery and I forgot to charge it last night. Wanna come in?" Amy offered, letting Penny into her apartment.

"You don't look like if you were okay" Penny noticed, "what happened?"

Amy told her about the incident she had with her car the night before and that she might be getting flu after she got wet with the rain.

"Oh, sweetie, I'm sorry. So, you're not feeling good to go out today?" Penny asked.

"No, I'm feeling better, I just need to take something and that'll be it. Why do you ask?"

"Well, Leonard and I talked last night and we thought it would be a good idea to go to visit Sheldon's mother and tell her what's going on with Sheldon. We figured that after a few weeks, Sheldon might want to go to Texas. So, we're going. Wanna go?"

Amy took a while to think about it. They were right, maybe Sheldon would want go with his mom, and Mrs. Cooper deserved to know, just in case Sheldon showed up.

"Sure, sounds good. Let me just get ready and I'll meet you at Leonard's apartment". Amy told her.

"Okay, we'll be waiting for you".

Penny left and Amy started to get dressed. She couldn't help feeling nervous; she had seen Sheldon's mother only once, and she wasn't really pleased with her. She didn't approve her relationship with Sheldon, and they were just friends back then. What was she was gonna say when she find out she was his girlfriend? And what would she think after she suggested Sheldon to move in with her and that might be the reason her son left? She knew she wasn't the only reason, but she was one of them. What was she gonna tell her?

Amy arrived at 4A half hour later. Penny and Leonard were having coffee when Amy knocked on the door.

"Hi, Amy, ready to go?" Leonard asked when he opened the door.

"Yes, Where's Penny?". She asked.

"She went to the bathroom. Wanna drink something before we go?"

"No, thanks, I'm fine". Amy said, sitting down next to Sheldon's empty spot and looking at it, sadly.

"Are you okay? You seem a little nervous" Leonard pointed out.

"Hum, well, to tell the truth I'm a little nervous about seeing Sheldon's mother" Amy answered, trying to get the sweat dry of her hands with the fabric of her skirt.

"How come?" Leonard asked raising his brows.

"Well, it's just that the first time we met, she didn't like me; she told Sheldon she didn't approve my relationship with him and I don't think that going to tell her that her son is gone is going to help".

Penny came out of the bathroom in that moment.

"What are you guys talking about?" she asked.

"Amy is a little worried about Sheldon's mom liking her." Leonard answered.

"Oh, sweetie, don't worry. Mary is really nice, I'm sure she's gonna love you". Penny said, trying to cheer her bestie a little.

"How can you tell? How do you know she is gonna like me?". Amy replied.

"Alright, there's something you should now, Amy" Leonard said and he went to the couch, sitting next to Amy. She looked at him, really concerned and wondering what she should know.

"You see, when Sheldon and you "broke up" and Sheldon bought 25 cats, remember?" Amy nodded, "Well, I called his mother because whenever he's going through a crisis she's the only one who can help him…"

"Yes, that why we decided to go this time…" Penny interrupted Leonard. "But we all know that, so go ahead. Sorry"

Leonard looked at Amy again and he proceeded with his speech.

"Anyway, she used inverse psychology with Sheldon to make him realize that you guys had split for no reason. She told him she didn't like you, but the truth is she did. She thought you were perfect for Sheldon, even as just his friend. There's nothing to be concerned about".

"Really? Amy asked, feeling a lot better and with some tingling on her chest.

"Of course she will" Penny told her, grabbing her shoulder gently. "And, no offense, but you were a little weird when we first met you. Now we realize how great you are, and you're lovable, friendly, smart, sweet, and funny. There's no way she couldn't want you to be her son's girlfriend"

"Also, I've heard Sheldon talking on the phone with her and he talks a lot about you". Leonard added.

"Huh, and what does he say about me?"

"Well, just things like, "I had a date with Amy" "I spend the day at Amy's" "Amy says I should do this, I should do that", you know, things like that".

"Oh, I see. I really appreciate you guys are telling me this. You made me feel a lot better", Amy said, with a smile on her face.

"We're glad to help. So, shall we get going?" Leonard said.

"Yes" Amy and Penny agreed at the same time and then they left.

Leonard, Penny and Amy arrived to Mrs. Cooper house a few hours later. She was really surprised when she opened the door.

"Oh, you guys, what a nice surprise! What are you doing here?" She said, hugging Leonard and kissing him on the cheek. Then she looked at Penny and then Amy.

"Is Shelly coming, too? Where is he?" she asked.

"No, he's not. Actually that's why we came. We need to talk to you about something". Leonard told her.

"Oh, dear Jesus. Is he okay?" Mary asked, putting a hand on her chest. Her face had changed to surprised and glad to worried and terrified in less than a second.

"Yes, he is. But we're worried about him" Penny said.

"I see. Come on in". Mary said, inviting them to get inside her house. Leonard got in and then Mary hugged Penny. Amy got a little uncomfortable because she knew Mary wasn't going to hug her and instead she was gonna shake her hand and perhaps smile at her. But she was wrong; surprisingly Mary hugged her too, and said: "Hello, Amy".

"Hello, Mrs. Cooper" She greeted her, smiling. Leonard and Penny were right; Mary was such a delightful woman.

"Please, call me Mary. May I offer you something to drink?" Mary asked them.

"No thanks, I think we're fine". Leonard said.

"Okay, then, why don't we seat? And you guys can tell me what's going on with Shelly".

Leonard, Penny and Amy sat on Mary's living room. The three of them were nervous; neither of them knew how to tell Mary that Sheldon had left.

"Well, hum" Leonard started. "You see, hum, Sheldon has been going through a lot of changes lately, so it all became really overwhelming and he decided he needed some time to clear his head a little". He said. Mary looked at him, concerned.

"And what did he do? Did he start doing _ponchos_again? Did he buy cats? Oh wait, did he build another laser?"

"No, no. He didn't. He…" Amy took a deep breath.

"He left". Penny finished.

Mary didn't say anything. She just kept her gaze on their faces, trying to process the information she had just received.

"And, where did he go?" She finally asked.

"We didn't know at first, but we have spoken with him on the phone a few times and now he's on San Francisco. And he says he's fine. He seems to be enjoying this". Leonard told her.

"And we thought you needed to know this, because, you're his mother and there's the possibility he might come here soon or later". Amy said.

"I'm not that sure about that, sweetie. The last time he was here, well, let's just say things are a little weird between us, lately, and I don't think that facing this again will help him out". Mary said, uncomfortable. Penny look at Amy and then to Leonard. The three of them knew what Mary was talking about.

"Nevertheless, you should know this. Whether Sheldon decides to come here or not" Penny told Mary.

"Yes. And I thank you for doing this. Did he say when is he coming back? Now he's in San Francisco, but, how long will he stay there? Where is he going next? Does he have enough money? How did he decide to go? What happened?"

"No. We don't know when he is coming back; we consider he might wanna spend the rest of the summer traveling around the country or something. When he left, he was just carrying his bag and his windbreaker. He has his laptop, his phone and he said he'll make it with his credit cars. Amy and I have been depositing some money on his cards just in case he runs out of it. Hopefully, he'll be back soon than we expect". Leonard said.

"Yeah, and I'll send him messages with smiles and happy faces during the day to make him feel better, and I helped with 25 dollars the other day". Penny added, apparently, really proud of herself.

"That is really thoughtful and sweet of you guys. But there's something I still want you to explain me; why did he leave? Don't tell me his favorite TV show got cancelled, because I'm gonna get him and drag him down here".

"No. Any of that. In fact, there's something we haven't told you, yet; Penny and I are engaged" Leonard said happily, grabbing Penny's left knee. Penny put her hand on Leonard's and smiled, happily as well.

"Oh, you guys, that's terrific! Congratulations!" Mary got up from the chair she was sitting on and went to hug Leonard and Penny.

"I'm so happy for you. I remember when I just met Penny that I told both of you that you made such a cute couple and now here you are, engaged. Let's move to the kitchen and celebrate this with a slice of pie and a coffee while you keep telling me how Shelly got upset, shall we?"

They got up and went to the kitchen to help Mary with the pie and to make coffee.

"No, no. Stay here in the dining room, let me get the pie" She said.

Leonard, Penny and Amy sat on at the table.

"She's really nice." Amy said, looking at the door after Mary disappeared behind it.

"We told you. And I'm sure she likes you". Penny said.

Mary came back with a box and a few plates and put them on the table.

"Let me just get the coffee, mugs and, oh yeah, some forks".

"Let me do that for ya'" Leonard said as he stand up and went to get them.

"Okay. So you guys are getting married, and I assume you are gonna live together" Mary asked and Penny nodded. "And Sheldon will have to move out, right?"

"Yes. We thought that maybe Leonard could move in with me for while, but my apartment it's kind of small, so…"

"We decided to live in my apartment" Leonard finished once he came back with the forks and the coffee. Then he went back to get the mugs and some napkins.

"And then he went to talk to me about that and I suggested him that if the whole live-by-himself thing didn't work out, we could always live together. We've been dating for almost three years now and I thought that was good idea. But he got upset and then he made fun saying that we should get married, have kids and stuff. He grabbed his stuff and left. I went to his apartment looking for him but he wasn't there". Amy explained.

"He had gone to the comic book store, but unfortunately it had gotten burned and everything was ruined. So, Penny and I looked for him and we found him on the train Station. We tried to convince him to not leave, but Penny said that he might need this and that we should just let him go. He just recently dropped his research on the String Theory and his friend Arthur Jeffries past away a few months ago…" Leonard continued.

"Oh, yes I knew. I saw it on the news and the paper. Sheldon used to watch his show when he was little. That's when he became nuts about science and stuff. I thought about calling him, but I wasn't sure he wanted to talk to me, so I didn't. And now you're telling me he dropped his job. Oh dear Lord, I should've called him. What is he doing? Did he get fired?" Mary got really sad, thinking about all those things her baby had to go through recently.

"No, he's not. But the University didn't allow him to change his field of study and that bothered him even more. He even considered quitting" Leonard said..

"Oh, I see. Poor Shelly! Oh my sweet God. He must've been devastated" Mary covered her face with a hand and then she grabbed her mug and to drink some coffee.

"How long has he been gone?" she asked.

"Two weeks". Amy answered

"I see". Mary said.

"What do you think, Mary? Should we wait until he comes back? Should we go to San Francisco and look for him?" Leonard asked. Amy and Penny shared a look and then both of them looked at Mary, waiting for an answer. Mary knew Sheldon very well, so she probably would come up with a clever and wise solution to the dilemma.

"I think we should let him to keep straight with this thing for a while". She said, looking at the cup with sugar on the table, obviously still thinking about her answer.

"Don't you think this is a little crazy?" Penny asked.

"Well, I don't know what to say. People do this all the time when they have problems: take some vacations and go someplace new, but this is crazy for someone like Sheldon: running away with no destiny, not luggage and perhaps no money. He has always been special, and every time he got pissed, he used to threaten me with running away. He used to grab his emergency pack, a few briefs out of the dryer and he left over my mum's. At night, my dad used to bring him back because he made explode my mum's stove after trying to do an experiment".

Amy let an "aw" come out of her mouth after hearing this. Mary looked at her and smiled.

"Yes, you think that's sweet now, but you would be pissed too if you had to pay 350 dollars to get your stove fixed when you have your grandchild coming over to visit". Mary told Amy. The four of them share a small laugh.

"Listen, kids. I understand Shelly is going through a lot of things now and he has always been afraid of changes. I say, we should wait. He'll come back, but I think this is something he had to do to grow up. I know he's an adult now, but he still behaves like a child, well, most of the time. He needs to live by himself for a while, being independent and clear his head. This way, when he comes back, he will not have a problem with you guys living together and moving out. He's gonna get over Professor Neutron's death and…"

"Actually is professor Proton" Leonard corrected her. The three women looked at him, clearly pissed. "Sorry". He apologized.

"As I was saying, I'm sure Shelly will miss you. So maybe he'll come back more lovable and nicer. I only hope he calls every now and then to make sure he's okay".

"That makes sense" Penny said. "Let's just wait for him".

"I just miss him so much, and I couldn't even say goodbye to him" Amy said, sadly, playing with fork and the slice of pie she had in front of her. She took the napkin to get a tear that was sliding on her cheek.

"Maybe you and I should talk, sweetie" Mary told Amy, taking her hand over the table. Amy looked back at her. Penny and Leonard got up as soon as they heard Mary's words.

"Hum, we're just going to wait outside" Penny said and she took Leonard by the hand and left.

"Alright, Amy, calm down, okay". Mary said, softly, still rubbing Amy's left hand.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Cooper, Mary. It's just that I can't deal with this. I'm mad at him because I'm tired of his behavior; I mad because he left without saying goodbye. I'm mad because I've been having these feelings that I never had for anyone before and because I know Sheldon doesn't feel the same way. He made fun of my suggestion of us living together. He doesn't want to live with me, he doesn't want to marry me, nor have kids someday. And to tell the truth, I didn't care at all about all these things until I met your son, and now that I do, it's really hard to face the fact that those dreams are just going to be dreams, not reality".

"Oh, sweetie. Don't cry, please" Mary told him and she gave her another napkin. "Look, I know Sheldon is hard to take, but you must know he cares a lot about you".

"I know he cares, but he doesn't _love_ me the way I _love_him".

"You love him?"

"With all my heart" Amy answered. She got blushed a little, but she didn't care.

"You know something? When I first met you, I got really surprised because I have never met anyone who was as similar to him as you. It freaked me out. You remember all those things I said? I said them because it was the only way to make Sheldon understand he was making a mistake. I always knew you were special to him. Come on, he bought 25 cats because of his break up with you. And he talks a lot about you when we talk on the phone, he respects you and he thinks you're a remarkable person. I never thought he'd be so interested in anyone before. I'm sure he loves you too, but he doesn't know how to show those feelings, he has never been in love before. And as I said, he's afraid of changes, of course he's going to freak out with, as you guys would explain, all those hormones finally coming out of his system. Although we all know those feeling are coming from Jesus". Amy gave Mary a weird look; she knew Mary Cooper was really devoted, but she didn't' wanted to be rude, so she just nodded and asked her:

"You really think he loves me?"

"I'm sure about that, honey. So, don't cry, I know you miss him, but this might be good for the both of you, take some distance and Sheldon can figure out what to do with his life and your relationship"

Amy had to agree. Sheldon's mother saying those things to her was that amazing that she actually believed in her words. She remembered when Sheldon bought the cats and that made her smile, and it made sense.

"Can I give you a hug, Mary?" She asked, hesitating.

"Of course you can" Mary said and he got up from the table to hug her.

Leonard, Penny and Amy came back to Pasadena the same day, despite Mary offered them to stay at her place that night. Leonard left Amy at her apartment and then he left with Penny back to his place. Amy couldn't help smiling after they left: they were getting married and about to start a live together, that was the way their life was going to be now, that's what she wanted for her and Sheldon. She got into her apartment, really tired of the long day, she took her clothes off and lay on her bed without putting on her pajamas. She fell asleep right after it.


	2. Chapter 2

Sheldon was trying to get some sleep. There was a lot of noise outside his window and it was really annoying. He wished he had taken with him his noise-cancelling headphones It wasn't the first time Sheldon regretted having taken this trip without anything since he left a month ago. However, he was feeling well. He had actually decided to keep studying the String Theory; he embraced the possibility of actually going somewhere with it. What if he was the first one to prove it? He always knew one day he was going to win a Nobel Prize, but it had never seemed so real. And he thought that all this mess had started because of Kripke. Stupid and annoying Barry Kripke. Was he actually going to let himself suffer because of a comment from someone as mediocre and conformist as Kripke any longer? No sir, Sheldon Cooper wasn't going to let Barry Kripke get his way this time, he wasn't going to surrender that easily.

The noise that didn't allowed him sleep got louder once his neighbors decided to have another party next to his hotel room. It was the third time this week. He recognized "The black eye peas" music coming from the party. If he would have wanted to listen to them, he could've stayed in Pasadena having 'fun' with Penny. But he was looking for some peace. And the hotel manager couldn't do anything because the party guys weren't staying at the hotel despite Sheldon's complains; they were on the building next door.

"That's it" Sheldon said. "I'm leaving tomorrow".

He spent the rest of the night thinking about where to go next.

He thought about going back home; he missed his bed, his clothes, his apartment, playing halo, is spot on the couch, having dinner with his friends, he missed the comic book store and wondered if they had rebuilt it, he even missed Penny and her annoying habits, but more than everything, he missed Amy. And he knew that. He missed her all the time. Of course he was having fun by himself but he just kept wishing Amy were there with him to know all those great places, take those Cable cars together, go with him to all those museums he had visited. He was always wondering what Amy could have been doing. He imagined Amy having lunch with Leonard, Howard and Raj at the cafeteria. He missed the smell of her dandruff shampoo, mixed up with the smell of her perfume, the way her hair rested on her shoulders, he missed her glasses, her voice, her sparkling green eyes, watch her walking with her cardigan or her sweater, how she wore those skirts and how she had stopped wearing thighs. Yes, Sheldon noticed it,and he thought her pale bare legs were kind of cute. He missed her lips. They had kissed just a couple of times, but Sheldon's eidetic memory allowed him to remember those kisses really well. And that wasn't helpful at all. He had never wished to kiss Amy more than at that moment. Why was he feeling this way? He didn't understand. He got up of his bed again and got the laptop from the desk next to his bed. He thought about skyping with her a little, but what if she was sleeping? What if she didn't want to talk with him? Was she still upset? She didn't sound upset the other time he had called her. He wondered if she was missing him as much as him. Yes, of course she was. She loved him. However, if she loved him that much, how come she never went after him to get him back?. Why she never called him? Maybe she was resting a little bit from him, maybe she found him annoying too. He put the laptop back on the desk and got in bed again. Would Amy be mad at him when he came back? What were they gonna do next now that Penny and Leonard were going to live together? Sheldon had yelled at her the last time he saw her and that was making him feel guilty. He was confused; he still needed answers and he had to admit he needed help. The only person he could think that might help him was his mom. He was still mad at her a little, but he didn't have anything else in mind but to go to Texas and spend some time with her. He thought about calling his mom in the morning, and give her a little heads up, tell her that he was on a sabbatical and he wanted to spend a few weeks with her, so he couldn't get another "surprise" like he did the last time he went to visit her. He hoped she had broken up with that man.

"I'm being selfish again" He thought, but he wasn't ready to face that all over again. He needed her comfort and her support.

The music was getting louder and louder and he couldn't concentrate on his thoughts. Tired of everything and following his impulse, he took his phone and called Amy.

"_Hello. Sheldon?"_She said on the other side of the phone

."Good night, Amy. I hope I'm not interrupting a great night of REM dream". He said.

"_Not at all, I was just reading "Pride and Prejuice" before I go to bed._She told him.

"Again?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

_"Hey, I don't tell you anything when you watch those space movies over and over again, do I?"_

"No, you don't. I'm sorry" he apologized.

"_Never mind. How are you? Are you still in San Francisco? Why did you call?"._

"Well, answering your questions in the right order: I'm okay. Yes, I'm still in San Francisco and I called to let you know I've decided to go to Texas tomorrow morning. I want to see my mother and spend a few weeks there" Sheldon answered.

"_Oh"._ Amy said. She got quitted all of the sudden.

"Amy?" Sheldon asked.

"_Yes?, Hum, I think that's great, Sheldon. Being with your mom could be really helpful"._She said.

"Yes, I know. It's been a while since the last time I saw her and there's still something we need to fix between her and I before I go back home".

"_Really? Are you coming back? When?"_Amy's voice sounded excited.

"I don't know yet, but I'll let you know" he said, firmly.

"_You promise?"_

Sheldon rolled his eyes, but he agreed.

"Yes, I promise. One more thing: don't tell anyone that I called. I don't want Leonard going to my mom's to try to get me back to Pasadena, or, for the record, Penny. And by the way, could you please tell her to stop sending me those messages with smiley faces? I appreciate she's trying to make me feel better but is started to get annoying three weeks ago".

_"Noted"_Amy said.

Neither of them talked for a few seconds. Amy wanted to do something, but she hesitated a little. She wasn't sure it was the right thing to do, but she decided to take the risk and say:

_"I miss you, Sheldon"._

"I know, and, to tell the truth: I miss you too. Actually I called because I was thinking about you and I wanted to hear your voice". He said, softly and nervous, he had never said something like that to her girlfriend before.

"_Really? Oh, that's so sweet. Listen, Sheldon; I don't know if I should tell you this, but I wish I could've seen you before you left. You didn't even give me the chance to say goodbye, and that hurts me"._She started weeping. Sheldon felt his heart breaking.

"I know. I thought about that too the other night and I feel really bad. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you"

_"I know you didn't, and I know you had to do this, but still. You know? Maybe I should go, I don't want to deal with this right now"._

"Are you mad at me?"

"_No, but you have to know that I'm not happy with this either. I just hope you get back on your feet as soon as possible and we'll figure this out later"._

"Fain enough" Sheldon responded.

"_Well, thanks for calling. Have a goodnight"_Amy said.

"Thanks for answering. Good night, Amy" he said and they both hung up the phone.


	3. Chapter 3

Sheldon woke up next morning earlier than he would have wanted: he had slept just few hours and he felt tired. He called his mother after breakfast to let her know he was on his way. She didn't seem surprised, but she was glad to hear her son was going to visit her.

Sheldon asked her if she was still having "coitus" with her "boyfriend". She said they were still going out, but that he was lucky; her boyfriend had gone on a business trip. Sheldon felt a lot better after hearing that and told Mary he wanted to spend a couple of weeks with her.

"_Alright, Shelly. I'll wait for you. Want me to pick you up at the Airport?"_ "Yes, that'd be good. Thanks". He said, gratefully.

Mary went to pick up Sheldon when his flight arrived.

"Hello, baby. Look at you, all handsome!" Mary said when she saw her son and she hugged him.

Sheldon was thinner, he had a three years beard and he was wearing jeans and a blue polo shirt. Not long sleeve under it and not windbreaker. His hair was longer and a little messy, but it all gave him the look of a more mature man. He looked really attractive, to tell the truth. Sheldon hugged his mum back and said:

"Hello, mum. Thanks for picking me up and let me stay with you".

"Sure, baby. Not problem. Oh dear lord, you look so different, but a good different. How come?". She said, taking Sheldon's face between her hands and caressing his cheeks".

"It's a long story, but I'll tell you later. I'm really hungry and I want to eat something".

"Then you're gonna be really pleased; I cooked you spaguettis with little hot dogs cut up in it".

"Whaoo! Thanks, mom. You're the best" he said happily.

On their way home, Sheldon told his mom he decided to take a sabbatical and that he had gone to so many places, but he never told her why he had decided that. Mary didn't know if it was a good telling him about his friends coming to visit her, so she just let him talk all the way. Sheldon kept talking about all those new experiences during dinner and after it, he was so tired and he went to his room and fell asleep. Mary kissed him goodnight and Sheldon thanked her again for letting him stay there.

During the next days, Sheldon got some weight again, he gained 8 pounds and his pants started to get tight. Mary took him to buy new clothes; she wanted to buy new things to change his look a little, but Sheldon preferred to buy colorful t-shirts with superheroes stickers on it, again. However, he let her bought him a new pair of jeans (Sheldon said he looked so good wearing them and he even made a comment that Amy wouldn't be able to keep her hands off him for a minute).

"So, how is it going with Amy? By the way" Mary asked him, casually "Is she okay with this break you're taking?"

"Yes. She's really reasonable and she's fine with it". He said. That was all Mary could get from him.

Sheldon had been with her mom for almost a month and he was really happy about it. He even got to spend a few days with his meemaw, Missy went to visit them once and she took her baby with her. Sheldon started to call Leonard and Penny more often and he skyped with Amy at least three times a week; like the old times, when they were just friends. He liked the way things were going between them, she wasn't upset anymore, but they kept avoiding talking about Sheldon coming back, or his relationship issues. Neither of them was ready to talk about the fight they had before he left.

Sheldon kept missing Amy and Mary noticed it. That was when she decided to talk with Sheldon about it. They already had talked about Arthur passing away and Sheldon told her about his plan of keep studying the String Theory. There was only one more topic they had to discuss, and it was the most important.

They were having dinner and there was a delicious chocolate cake waiting for them in the oven. Mary took it out and she decided it was time.

"Sheldon, honey, can I ask you something?"

"Of course". He said.

"When are you going back home?".

Sheldon looked at his mom for a second and then his gaze went to the piece of cake he was eating.

"Don't get this the wrong way" she continued… "I love having you here with me, but the summer is almost over and you have figured out what to do with your career. Don't you think is time to move on?" she asked, tenderly.

"Yes mom. I know but I don't feel ready to go back".

"Why not honey? What is holding you back?"

"It's just my friends and Amy, I…" He said, it seemed that it took him a lot of effort to say that.

"Amy? What about her? I thought you guys were fine and I that you missed her". Mary asked, concerned.

"Of course I miss her, and we're fine, but" he took a deep breath. "Leonard and Penny are getting married, and they asked me to move out, but I don't want to. Now I know I'm totally capable to live on my own, I'm independent, but Amy wants us to live together and I just don't feel ready for it". He said.

"Why not? What's wrong with it?". Mary started to push Sheldon to talk about it, but now that she had started, she wasn't going to give up on him.

It took Sheldon a couple minutes to think about his mother question.

"I suppose there's nothing wrong with it, but I don't want to have that kind of intimacy, yet".

"Then, when Sheldon? When are you gonna feel ready? I haven't told you this but, before you came, Leonard, Penny and Amy came here to tell me that you had gone. I talked with Amy and let me tell you something: that girl is special, she loves you really much and I know her love is sincere and pure. She's a great girl and you are so lucky to have her in your life. Now, tell me something: how do feel about her? Do you love her? She asked, excited but serious.

"I don't know". Sheldon said while he was playing with his fork.

"Yes, you do". Mary said, firmly.

"Then why did you ask, mom?" Sheldon complained, meeting her eyes.

"Because I want you to say it, Sheldon. I want you to admit it and to face it".

"Fine. Yes, I love Amy, I love her". He said, standing up a little bit, with wide open eyes and his throwing his napkin on the table.

"So, if you guys love each other, what's the problem of having intimacy? Why don't you let yourself be happy for once in your life? Put your feet on the ground, Shelly. There's nothing wrong with being in love, there's nothing wrong with enjoying your relationship or with living together. And if you want to make love to her someday, do it. As long as you're in love that's okay. I just learned that. And you should know that; people are not eternal".

"It'll be in the future, when men kind is capable to transfer brains into intelligent machines and…" Sheldon said, sitting again on his chair. "Sheldon…"

"All right, all right. I guess you're right; Amy is not going to be there forever. And she's really great, she has supported me all this time and I've been such a jerk to her. She doesn't deserve this. Why should I do, mom,?", he asked his mother, hoping she could tell him what to do, he wasn't an expert.

"I think you know what you have to do, honey. Let yourself be happy". "And what if it doesn't work?"

"You'll never know that until you take the risk". She told him, smiling.

"I see. It's like Schrödinger's cat all over again". Sheldon said, really fascinated.

"Who's cat?", Mary asked.

"Oh, it's an experiment. You see, in 1935 there was this Austrian physicist Erwin …" he started to explain,, but he got interrupted.

"Oh of course! Schrödinger's cat. I remember now, there's no need for you to explain it".

Sheldon got quiet, but he couldn't remember when he had explained to her the cat's experiment.

"Are you done with the cake? Would you like another piece, Sheldon?". Mary asked her son.

"No, mom. I'm fine thanks".

Mary took the plates and the rest of the cake and went to the kitchen. "So. What are you gonna do, Shelly?" she asked when she came back.

"I know what I have to do, but I don't know how. The only thing I know is that I have to go back home".

"When?"

"You think tomorrow is a good idea? or it is too fast?"

"Whenever you wanna do it, it's fine"

"Okay. I'll think about it".

Sheldon went back to his room and lay down on his bed. He knew what he had to do; he had to be a better boyfriend, the boyfriend Amy deserved; he had to tell her he loved her now that he knew it, tell her that he wanted to be with her, that the past months had been great but that they would've been better if she would have been with him to share them, he had to thank her for all her love, her support, patience and for wait for him all that time, not only during his trip, he meant wait for him always; through their whole relationship, wait for him to take her hand, to cuddle, to kiss her.

The problem was that he didn't know how to do that. He bought her a tiara once to apologize, but he felt this time wasn't enough.

What a woman could possibly like, other than jewelry? Comic books? They were great but she didn't like them. A book? Yes, maybe a book; Amy liked to read, specifically romance. There it was; romance! Women like romance!

Sheldon remembered the last Valentine's Day and his first kiss with Amy. She said she wanted romance, that she deserved it.

Sheldon got an idea and he had to plan it really carefully. He had promised to Amy he was going to call her whenever he was coming back, but he needed to prepare a surprise to her. What could it be that involved romance and Sheldon's apologize?

He decided to go to sleep to clear his head a little; a good sleep will help him to figure something out.

The next morning, he got up early, and while he was taking a shower and getting ready to breakfast, it hit him, he knew what kind of surprise he was going to prepare. He had breakfast with his mom and told her he was leaving the next day. She told him she'd drive him to the Airport.

He was packing when he decided to call Amy and tell her the good news, also to find out what was her schedule for the day. Sheldon wasn't any good at lying, but if he wanted to surprise Amy, he had to do it. It's wasn't that hard if he had to do it on the phone, but still, he got nervous when he called her.

"Hello, Amy" he said on the phone.

"_Hi, Sheldon. How's it going?". _She asked

"Very good. In fact, good news: I'm coming back".

"_Really? Oh, that's great!. How come? Do you feel better now?"_

"Well, as you already know; I've figured what to do with my career, you told me the Comic Book Store was getting rebuilt again and I just feel that it's time to come back".

"_I'm happy to hear that. And how are you gonna handle Leonard and Penny living together? Are you moving out or…?" _Amy asked, carefully, trying not to ask if he had decided to live on his own or move in with her.

"That's something I still have to discuss with Leonard and Penny, but I've made my decision". He said, firmly.

"_Oh. And when are you gonna be here? Want me to pick you up?"_

"No, thank you, I'll take a cap. And I assume I'll be in Pasadena the day after tomorrow".

"_You mean, Sunday." _Amy told him, not as a question, as a confirmation.

"Yes, that's what I said. Today is Friday, and since the discovery of the ancient astronomers of the Earth's Rotation movement are adapted by the Occidental world, naming the different days of the week according to the planets of the Solar System; we can say that Saturday comes after Friday and Sunday comes after Saturday. So, yes, I'm coming back on Sunday". He replied.

"_It's kinda sexy when you talk like that". _Amy said, laughing.

"Speaking of sexy: guess who wears jeans now?" He asked her, really pleased to hear that Amy found he was sexy when he gave those interesting speeches when other people used to consider them boring and tedious.

"_You wear jeans now? I guess the wait to see you will be longer than I thought, then"._

"Control your hormones until I get back, little lady, there's a lot to catch up once I get home". Sheldon didn't think it through when those words came out of his mouth. Spoiler Alert.

"_What do you mean?"_ Amy asked excited on the other side of the phone.

"Never mind. I'm gonna take off. There's a lot to pack and it usually takes me three or four hours to check up my inventory, perhaps longer now that I've gotten new items".

"_Al right, I'll let you do your stuff, while I get back to work". _

"Oh, one more thing: do not tell anyone about me. I'm sure everybody missed me so much and I wanna surprise them with my presence between them again".

"_Noted. Anything else?"._

"Yes, try to spend Saturday night with them so your wait for me is not going to be as bad as it sounds". He proposed, hoping Amy wouldn't suspect anything.

"Don't worry. I'm going out with Bernadette and Penny".

"Okay then. So, I'll see you on Sunday".

"_See ya". _She told him and then she hung up.

The next day, Sheldon was pretty excited, he had all his things already packed, he bought his flight ticket since the day before and he was ready to go as soon as the sun got raised on the horizon. He took a shower, he shaved and he decided to wear a lot of lotion and talk, since Amy liked the smell of baby powder. He combed his hair on a way he could look sexy but keeping his usual look.

His mom took him to the airport and waited with him for a couple of hours until it was time for him to take the flight.

"I'm gonna miss you so much, Shelly" Mary said, giving Sheldon a long hug.

"I'm gonna miss you, too mom. I'm never gonna thank you enough for all you have done for me. Specially helping me to get over my problems".

"Stop it, Sheldon. You're gonna make me cry. I can't believe my baby is all grown up. I hope everything works out with Amy. And with Leonard and Penny. Remember Shelly, sometimes we have to put others needs before ours, all right? Be a good friend and support them." She kissed him on the forehead. "Call me when you get home".

"I will" he said, grabbing his luggage, ready to go.

"Good bye, baby". Mary said, waving at him.

"Bye". He said to his mom, smiling and waving back.


	4. Chapter 4

It was Saturday night and Amy was going back home, all wet again, since it was raining and the plans she had with Bernadette and Penny didn't work out that well; Bernadette had to work and Penny and Amy decided to watch a movie at Penny's when Penny got a call from his manager, who told her that he had heard of another audition for part on a sitcom. Penny got all excited and Amy was pleased to go with her to the audition.

When they got there, Penny saw near to 50 girls waiting on a line in front of the TV studio where the casting was going.

"Dammit". Penny cursed. "Why do they have to do the casting at this time? Come on, it's almost 10 pm".

"Because they've doing it all day long and your manager just call you to let you know?" Amy said. It was pretty harsh to be optimistic at this point, now than another 300 girls had applied for the part before Penny did.

"I know. It really sucks, but I have to try it. At least one don't you think? I don't want to marry Leonard and live forever on his money. I want to get a good job, make some contribution to the wedding arrangements, and be able to buy a good dress on my own, not because Leonard gives me the money". She complained

"I understand. This is important and, who knows? Maybe you get the part. At least you're the most beautiful girl waiting on the line right now". Amy told her, looking around.

"Oh, honey, that's so sweet. Thanks". Penny smiled at her friend.

A man came out of the studio and shouted:

"Okay ladies, we're only gonna accept another 10 girls for now. The rest of you can go home. Thanks for coming, anyway".

The first ten girls on the line were allowed to get into the studio and the rest of the girls started to complain, get mad and some of them just left.

Penny got upset and called her manager to tell him what just had happened. They fought for a while and Penny got almost fired. She was pretty down on the dumps. Amy suggested to go back home, but Penny decided she needed to drink something and they went to bar.

"Why do these horrible things keep happening to me?" Penny asked, pretty wasted now, even when Amy tried to stop her everytime she ordered one more shot. Penny got so drunk that she couldn't drive back home and Amy had to do it.

She put Penny into bed and stayed with her for a while to make sure she was okay.

Since they had gone in Penny's car and Amy ended up paying for the drinks, she had to walk back home because she couldn't pay a cap. Fortunately, her home wasn't that far from Penny's.

Amy was walking on the street, thinking about Sheldon, and that she was going to see him the next day, after almost three months. She was feeling really happy and excited when suddenly, it started to rain. Oh boy, what great way to end the day!.

She got into her apartment, pretty upset. She tried to turn on the light, but the switch didn't work. Maybe it was the light bulb, but it wasn't. As it turned out, it was a blackout. There was not light in the whole building.

Amy got some candles and put some on the living room, the kitchen and her room. She was lighting them on when she heard something. There was someone outside her apartment trying to open the door. She panicked. What was she gonna do? She stayed in the kitchen, frozen. Her heart started to race and she couldn't feel her legs. The stranger opened the door and came in, he was tall and thin and he was carrying a bag, a baggage and some flowers.

"Amy?" he asked, searching for his girlfriend in his apartment with the light of the candles.

"Oh my God, Sheldon!" Amy shouted and ran towards him to hug him. He was wet too. "Oh dear Lord, what are you doing here? I thought you were a thief trying to break in. And look at you, you're all wet. I thought you were coming back until tomorrow and, oh Sheldon!" She said, hugging him tighter.

Sheldon dropped his bag and the flowers and hugged her back.

"Oh, I miss you Amy. Sorry about breaking in this way, I didn't mean to freak you out". He apologized.

Amy step back and looked at him.

"I can't believe you're here. What happened? What are you still carrying your luggage?"

"Long story. Listen, there's a lot of things I have to explain, so please give me just a few seconds and then you can ask me whatever you want".

"Okay, just let me bring some towels so we can get dry" she said, going to the bathroom. Sheldon sat down on one of Amy's wooden chairs, so her couch couldn't get wet too. He took the flowers and put them on the sink. Amy came back with a couple of towels and handed one to Sheldon.

"Thanks" he said.

"Are you going to explain me now?" Amy asked, sitting on the other chair, in front of Sheldon.

"Yes. Well, first of all, I decided to come back before because I wanted to surprise you. You told me over the phone you were going to go out with Bernadette and Penny, so I thought that maybe I could came here to cook some dinner and I don't know prepare something nice for you. I still have the emergency key you gave me a few months ago. I wasn't expecting you here at all. On my way here, I stopped by to get you some flowers, but it started to rain and they got ruined and, well, here I am".

"Oh, you got me flowers. That's so sweet". She told him.

"I know, that's why I bought them".

"And why didn't you go home before? Why did you want to cook dinner and stuff?"

"Because I still feel terrible about the way I left. I know I hurt you and I wanted to make it up to you. I've been thinking about us and I agree that us living together might good. Also, I realize about something".

"And what is that?" she asked.

Sheldon leaned towards her and plant a kiss on her lips, softly and tenderly. She kissed him back, surprised but pretty glad to do it. He put his hands on her hips and she wrapped her arms around his neck. How much they have missed each other. How many nights Amy had dreamed about him kissing her, how many times Sheldon wished to be with Amy just to feel her lips on his again

"I love you, Amy" he murmured against her mouth.

Amy broke the kiss and their gazes met.

"What?" she asked, with her hands still on his neck

"I love you. I love you. I love you" Sheldon told her, smiling.

"I love you, too Sheldon" she said, before kissing him again.

They kissed for a long time, just enjoying the moment. And what a moment was that. If Sheldon was wishing to have a romantic moment with Amy, he couldn't asked for a better moment: the light of the candles all over the place. The rain pouring outside and Amy happy to have him back.

"Sorry about the flowers, though; they are ruined and wet" Sheldon said once they stopped kissing, with their foreheads together.

"That's okay. We're both wet, too, anyway". Amy told him.

Sheldon looked at Amy in the eyes trough the crystal of her glasses. He gulped, getting the courage to say something he wanted to do for a few weeks now and finding the perfect way to bring it up. He whispered:

"Perhaps we should take our clothes off to get them dry".

Amy was speechless. It took her a few seconds to process what Sheldon had said.

"Wait. Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting? She finally asked. She felt her knees getting weaker.

"And what do you think I'm suggesting? Sheldon said, nervous.

"Hum…you wanna, hum, do you.. huh, have sex?" she asked him, hesitating. Sometimes Sheldon could be really innocent and what he had said could literally mean getting their clothes dry and wear something else meanwhile. He had his luggage and his clothes with him, anyway.

"Oh, good. I did well, huh?" he said, blinking.

"What? Are you sure?" she asked, open-mouthed, totally amazed.

"Completely. We've waited for a long time and I, I really want to make love to you".

That was it. Amy felt like falling down. Sheldon wanted to make love, finally. After he left, after all the time they had spent far away from each other, after all those years of relationship.

She just smiled and took his hands between hers.

"I don't know what happened to you on that trip of yours but, oh, God bless you, Sheldon Cooper".

And they went to her bedroom, to finally consummate their love for each other and "giving themselves" into the relationship.


End file.
